My Little Ball of Steam: A Chinese Treasure
by Emerald Omen
Summary: I was just harvesting Bamboo, minding my own business. Suddenly, I find myself being followed by a special little creature. According to my research, she likely wants me to take care of her. Who am I to say no to such a cute face?


I looked up to the sky through the towering Bamboo, trying to judge the time of day. It felt as if I'd been out harvesting Bamboo for _hours_. On a normal day, it was just me the whole time. No others around me, as we all had our own fields to keep up. I enjoyed the silence, although it would sometimes seem as if I were the only one on the planet, it would get so quiet.

As I wiped the sweat off my brow, I heard a scuffling sound, and a high toned chirp. Similar to the sound a baby bird, or a Cheetah might make. I turned behind me, and when I didn't see anything, looked down. Sitting before me was a small blue tank engine. I raised an eyebrow. The pet trains that had come into existence over the past few years weren't usually wild. But the little blue engine before me showed no sign of ownership, and it didn't seem to be looking for its owner. It was a small blue engine, with a red stripe down its side, and six little red wheels. Judging by the facial features, it was female, and she was pretty cute. It was clearly a Chinese oriented engine.

"Well hello there, where did you come from?" I asked. The little engine continued to look up at me, her eyes full of curiosity and glee. It elicited another small chirp, still looking up at me. I looked around, and saw no other signs of life in the immediate area.

"Where's your home? You must be wild if you're all the way out here." I said to her. After a few more minutes, I turned and started walking back towards the edge of my field. I had obtained enough bamboo for today, now I just had to process it all back home.

A few minutes later, I had the sensation I was being watched, and turned around. Only a few feet behind me was the little blue engine, a smile on her face as she eyed a piece of low hanging bamboo I had been carrying. She suddenly sprinted forwards, batting at the piece with her wheel. I chuckled at the engine's playfulness, but I knew she must have a home somewhere. I didn't want her following me out of the field, and getting lost. I set my load of harvested bamboo down, and the little blue engine immediately glomped onto it, nomming a piece in her tiny mouth.

"Hey, quit that! I've got to use that!" I said in a gentle, but stern voice. She stopped, and looked up at me, her two eyes shining in the sunlight. She had a look of remorse on her face as she backed down off of the bamboo, nudging the piece she had been playing with towards me.

Now I felt bad.

I sighed, and held the piece out to her. She looked at me, then at the piece, then back at me. I nodded gently, and a giddy smile spread across her face. She took the piece in her mouth, and began to play with it once again. Hoping it would distract her from following me farther, I picked up the rest of the harvest, and continued my way back to the house.

When I arrived, there was still no sign of the little engine, so I assumed she had gone back to her home. But, only mere minutes after I had gone in, I heard a scratching noise coming from the wooden door. I walked over and opened the door, not as surprised as I probably should have been to find the little blue engine staring up at me. I sighed, and bent down to pick her up. She backed away for a second, inspecting my hands, and then she rolled into them, allowing me to scoop her up.

"Oof, you're a heavy little thing, aren't you?" I said as I propped the engine against my chest. I looked around, trying to figure out what I was supposed to do. I had no idea where the engine actually lived, and I was starting to get the idea that even if I took her back to the bamboo forest, she would just follow me back again, since she now knew the way to my house.

I was pulled from my thoughts as I felt a vibration go through my body. I looked down to find that the engine was looking around from her perch in my arms, purring loudly. I wasn't aware that they could do that!

"You really like me, huh?" I asked, gaining the attention of the little blue engine. She looked up at me, her two eyes shining in the light. She tucked herself against me, her purring continuing. I scratched behind her funnel with my thumb, and the purring increased in volume. Her eyes closed after a few minutes, and the purring went away. She had fallen asleep.

After waiting a few more minutes to make sure she was in a deep enough sleep, I gently set her on the couch, and walked over to my laptop. I googled what do to if a wild train wouldn't leave you alone, and I wasn't expecting the answer I got.

According to almost _all_ of the results, while most of the engine's weren't wild, the ones that were have been known to follow people around. Sometimes when they do that, they sense something about a person, and they won't want to leave your side. Almost as if they are demanding to be adopted.

I sat down next to the sleeping engine, and she snuggled against me while she slept, a content little smile on her face. Without thinking, I began to pet her. So was that what _she_ was doing? She was trying to get me to adopt her, and take care of her? Considering I made more than one attempt to get her to go back to her home, and she refused every time, instead trying to stay with me, it would seem she was doing just that.

Did I really want to have a pet? I admit, I wasn't _disinterested_ in the idea, but I wasn't sure if I would be able to take care of one. Especially an engine. They needed a lot of love and attention. Not to mention food, water, and other things. I did some more research, and discovered a veterinary clinic in my town that helped people start out with new pets, including giving them all of their required shots. That would definitely be a must, since she was wild. It would also mean I would have to give her a name.

But how to choose...

There were many to choose from, I read aloud down the list. I got a noticeable reaction out of the little engine when I read aloud two specific names. "_Hong_" and "_Mei_".

She seemed to react to both of those names, but I didn't know which one I liked better, so I went with both.

"Hong Mei." I whispered, smiling a little as the little engine began purring at the sound of her new name. I gently pet her, and made an appointment online with the local vet so I could fully learn everything about taking care of her, and have her get her shots as well, so she could stay happy and healthy.

After a little while, I was getting the impression that Hong Mei had no plans to move anytime soon, so I finally decided to take her lead, and close my eyes. It wasn't long before I had fallen asleep completely.

. . .

When I woke, it was to the feeling of a weight on my chest, and a wet sensation on my face. I opened my eyes, scrunching my face at the feeling, until I saw what it was. Hong Mei was on top of me, licking my face, most likely in an effort to wake me up. She stopped when she saw that I had indeed done so, sitting back as I blinked a few times.

"Did you wake me?" I asked her, earning a small chirp from the blue engine. I moved a hand up to her, and she pushed her face into it as a sign of affection. I sighed as Hong Mei finally hopped off of me, and I stood and stretched. After I checked the clock, I saw there were still a few hours before her appointment. I got breakfast, and sat down at the table. As I ate, Hong Mei watched me from the floor. After a moment, I invited her up into my lap, and she happily accepted. She looked around at the table top, and at my food in curiosity as I ate my cereal. Once, while I was lowering the spoon back into the bowl, she gave it a bat, and nearly knocked it out of my hand.

"Hey, quit that." I said, scratching her chin. She melted at the touch, increasing the weight on my finger as I scratched her. Once I was finished, Hong Mei hopped up onto the table, and began to drink the milk right out of the bowl. It then occurred to me that I had nothings suitable to feed her, so I let her drink to her little hearts content. I would have to remember to ask the vet about food for her, among other things.

Once she had licked the bowl dry, I picked her up, and walked outside. She sniffed the air as she looked around, before I set her on my porch. She wandered around, looking at all of the different things around my house. I sent a few texts, and checked my emails, before I set my phone back down. Hong Mei was laying on her side in the grass, her eyes closed as she basked in the sunlight. I sat in my deck chair and watched her. She stayed on her side for at least ten minutes, until the sun finally moved off of her, then she got up, and made her way back over to me. I picked her up, and set her in my lap. She looked up at me as I rubbed her face and scratched her funnel.

But, soon enough, it was time to go to the vets, so I carried her to my car, and placed her in the passenger seat. She didn't seem to mind the car at all, as she just sat, and looked out the front window as I got into the drivers seat. I started the car, and slowly made my way into town. I didn't want to take a turn to fast, and make Hong Mei fall out of her seat.

I pulled into the vet's office, and carried her inside. It seemed to be a slow day, for it was fairly quiet inside. No barking, meowing, tweeting, or anything. I walked up to the front desk, and once the woman at the counter saw Hong Mei, she dropped what she was doing.

"Ohhh, look at her!" she said, gushing over Hong Mei's cuteness. I smiled.

"Yeah, I picked this little one up in the bamboo forest by my house. Well, actually, I came across her in the forest, and she followed me back home. She refused to leave." I explained. The woman smiled as she scratched Hong Mei's chin, making the little engine smile. I'm sure she enjoyed the attention.

"Sounds like she wanted a friend to take care of her. Does she have a name?" the woman asked.

"I call her Hong Mei. She seems to like it." I said. The little blue engine nestled against my chest at the mention of her name.

"She sure seems to like _you_." said the woman. I nodded.

"She sure does. I'm here to get her her shots, as well as have the vet answer a few questions so I can care for her properly. I had an appointment." I said. The woman checked her computer, and soon enough, I was checked in. They had me carry Hong Mei back, and set her on a metal table in one of the rooms. A different woman in a white lab-coat came in. She was the vet.

"Alright, so just the shots for your little one today?" she asked. I nodded. The vet pulled out a rather long needle, and Hong Mei was the first to notice. She scampered across the table to me at the sight of it, and pushed herself into me. I picked her up, and held her. Her face showed fright, and distress.

"It will be okay. You need these to make sure you stay healthy. Don't you want to be healthy?" I whispered to her. Hong Mei buried her face in my shoulder as the vet walked over, needle in hand.

"It's actually just _one_ shot. You can hold her if you want, just keep her still." she said. I held Hong Mei tightly, stroking her gently to try and calm her. The vet lined up the needle, and stuck in in Hong Mei, causing the little engine to let out a loud yelp of pain. I felt her shaking as she looked up at me, tears in her little eyes.

"It will be okay. I know it hurts, but it's for your own good. Shhh..." I coaxed her as I kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes tightly, a few tears trickling out of them. After a few seconds, the shot was done, and the vet pulled the needle out. She put a small bandage on the spot where she had poked, and smiled.

"All done. Maybe a treat would make her feel better?" the vet suggested. I looked down at Hong Mei, who still looked frightened, but no longer in pain.

"You want a treat for being a brave little engine?" I asked. Hong Mei smiled a little as I wiped her tears from her face, and tucked herself into me as tightly as she could, closing her eyes. Her small wheels clutched my arm tightly as she snuggled against me.

"I'll take one for later. She doesn't seem to want it right now. Probably still afraid. I don't think she's ever been to a vet before." I said. The vet handed me a small bag with a treat in it, which I put into my pocket, and a small squeaky toy in the shape of a piece of bamboo. I showed it to Hong Mei, and after a moment, she took it in her mouth, causing the toy to squeak. I smiled at the cuteness of the whole thing, then turned back to the vet as Hong Mei chewed her toy.

"So, what do I feed her? She drank all the milk from my cereal bowl this morning, but other than that, I didn't have anything to give her." I said.

"You can buy food for her here, or at any pet store. It's kind of just a modified cat-food, but it caters to the specific needs of an engine instead." the vet replied.

"Alright, thank you. I'm happy to know that I can take care of her, and not have to worry about her having anything she could have caught in the wild. I couldn't bear to see her suffer." I said, looking down at the little blue engine, still chewing on her toy. She looked up at me, and let the toy fall from her mouth as she chirped at me.

"I love you too, little one." I whispered, pecking her forehead. The vet just smiled at us.

I walked up to the front desk, where I bought some food for Hong Mei, and then walked out to the car. Hong Mei was still clinging to me, her toy in her mouth as she looked around. She seemed to relax once we got back into my car, and dropped her toy next to her in the passenger seat.

"Want to go and get some stuff for you at the store?" I asked as I started the car. I got a chirp in response, which I took as a yes.

I drove about ten minutes to the nearest pet store, and carried Hong Mei inside. I needed a litter box, a food and water dish, as well as food and a few other supplies. I found the items one by one, letting Hong Mei decide which ones she liked the best by means of her reaching out to them.

Once I had everything I needed, I paid for it, and pushed them out to my car in a cart. Hong Mei was all to happy to sit in the cart as well, looking at all of her new things.

When I got home, I set her litter box in the corner, and put her food and water bowl in the kitchen, filling both of them. Hong Mei settled for eating some of her food while I put the rest of the supplies where I could find them when I needed them.

Then, I sat on the couch to relax.

How could I have gained the trust and admiration of such a delicate little thing so quickly? I could only wonder what made her follow me home, and insist on staying with me. I hadn't done anything for her prior to that.

I looked down as Hong Mei crawled into my lap, before snuggling against me. Her belly full, she let out a small yawn, before closing her eyes as I gently pet her.

It was then I realized. I didn't care what made her want to stay with me, the fact was that she wanted to. And I had no problem with that. I had come to love her, the perfect little baby she was.

I watched her as she became still, continuing to pet her to keep an adorable little smile on her face.

I had no idea that she was out there in those fields, but I can safely say that I'm glad I found her... or that she found me.

I had a new companion, and she had a new caretaker. Perhaps we both needed each other, because I can safely say both of us were very happy.

And that's what really mattered.

* * *

This was a small gift for a friend of mine who absolutely adores Hong Mei. She is very cute, and what better way to make her more cute? Baby pet Hong Mei! Though i will admit it's getting very difficult to write these pet engine stories, as I'm running out of ideas for them. Not sure how many more I'll be able to make before they cease. If anyone has ideas for the scenario of ownership, or finding them, please feel free to tell me them!


End file.
